Cortines gets the job

The Los Angeles Unified school board has named Ramon Cortines as the new superintendent of schools, replacing David Brewer. From City News Service:

Cortines agreed to a three-year contract and will take over as superintendent on Jan. 1. The board's vote to hire him was unanimous. Contract terms were not immediately available.

Brewer to go

The LA school board voted to buy out Superintendent David Brewer's contract. Brewer said yesterday he'll take the money and go.

Brewer, bankruptcy and Bill Lockyer

On "Which Way, LA?" tonight at 7:30 p.m.: Howard Blume of the LA Times, former LAUSD board member Genethia Hudley Hayes and Jamie Regalado of the Pat Brown Institute discuss LA school's chief David Brewer's plan to step down; Alan Mutter (Reflections of a Newsosaur) on Tribune Co.'s decision to file for bankruptcy protection; and state Treasurer Bill Lockyer says he'll put a stop-payment on state projects until the Legislature crafts a budget deal.

David Brewer wants a buy out

In a carefully played game of semantics, LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer offers to resign without saying he'll resign. Instead, he asks the school board to do what they wanted to do originally, which was to buy out his contract. Here's the pertinent passage:

The current debate about my leadership and the performance of the district has been contentious. It has been demoralizing and debilitating, not only to our valued employees, but has spilled over into the community. As an African-American, I’ve experienced my share of discrimination. When I joined the Navy as an officer over 37 years ago, there were only 250 African-American officers out of 72,000. I know what it looks like, smells like, and the consequences. Although this debate is disconcerting and troubling, it must not become an ethnic issue. When adults fight, it can manifest itself in our children. This must not become an ethnic or racial battle that infests our schools, our campuses, our playgrounds. This is not about settling an old score; this must be about what is best for every LAUSD student.

Therefore, I have decided to do what I think is in the best interest of the children, to put all of our students first. Although my two years of service as superintendent contain an undeniable record of significant accomplishments, I am asking the Los Angeles School Board to shield our students from this contentious debate and honor the buy-out provisions of my contract.

Read the rest of his comments here.

Brewer to step down (Updated from earlier today)

According to several reports, David Brewer plans to announce today that he will resign as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Daily Breeze, Daily News

*The latest story in the Los Angeles Times indicates Brewer is looking for a third way, in which he agrees to leave but doesn't resign "outright." Is this mere semantics?

Will he stay or will he go?

Embattled Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent David Brewer is slated to make a public statement today at 2 p.m.

From the Daily Breeze blog: "It could go either way at this point," said one district rep.

Paying for mistakes

Steve Lopez on L.A.'s public school system, Superintendent David Brewer's generous expense account and the school board that pays for it all (with taxpayer money).

School board takes no action on superintendent

The LAUSD school board met behind closed doors today to decide the fate of Superintendent David Brewer. Although board members reportedly had the votes they needed to fire him, they chose to defer any action until the one African-American school board member comes back to town.

From the LAT:

The Los Angeles Board of Education met in closed session this morning, but did not take action on the fate of schools Supt. David L. Brewer, who faces increasing pressure to step down midway through a four-year contract.

Although board members and sources close to them suggested that the votes were there to dismiss Brewer, a complication arose with the absence of board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte. LaMotte is representing the Los Angeles Unified School District in San Diego at a weeklong meeting of the California School Boards Assn., and she reportedly declined to return to deliberate Brewer's future.

LaMotte is the board's only African American member, and officials were reluctant to act against Brewer, who also is black, without LaMotte in the room. LaMotte's trip to San Diego -- a two- to three-hour drive from Los Angeles -- had been scheduled some time ago.

By delaying a decision, the board has probably given Brewer and his supporters the leverage they need to negotiate a better severance package.

LA school board might pay superintendent to leave

This intriguing item was listed on the agenda for Tuesday's special LAUSD board meeting (emphasis mine):

2. Personnel (Government Code §54957)
Employee Evaluation:
Superintendent of Schools
Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release

The agenda was sent out just before the Thanksgiving Day holiday and received little attention. The government code is often cited by school boards and city councils who want to privately negotiate a nice severance package so their top officials will leave without putting up a public fuss.

Now Howard Blume of the LA Times has this story in tomorrow's paper:

Key civic leaders have lost confidence in L.A. School Supt. David L. Brewer and are quietly pressing for him to leave his $300,000-a-year position as head of the nation's second-largest school system, The Times has learned.

The school board is expected to discuss buying out Brewer's contract in a private meeting today, according to sources close to the district who are not authorized to speak about closed sessions.

I assume "today" means Tuesday and it just wasn't fixed for the Web.